Carrying the Teamwork

The Chicago Board of Trade is the center of the American Empire. If you go out the back door and west on Madison a ways, you'll arrive at the home of our favorite sports dynasty. A statue of some guy memorializes the Bulls threepeats.
If you go out the front door of the CBOT and travel west down Jackson Blvd. a ways, and then a little ways more, and then a little more you'll be at the home of a dynasty you may not know about.
Marillac Social Center at Francisco and Jackson houses a charter school and Project Hope which helps teenage girls navigate the perils of Chitown's west side. "Hope Jr." focuses on Jr. High age girls and provides tutoring, resources, and a space to play basketball.
The Lady Warriors' leader is Jalesa Haggard (pictured above right) who has coached the team the during the current run of three straight championships. She played at the beginning of the dynastic drive a few years back and brings the positive attitude she played with to the current cast of kids. She emphasizes teamwork and drills her charges until passing and team defense are second nature to quiet confident players like Alisa J. Hill.(left) Vinny D. might still be working if he took a few lessons from Coach Haggard.
The statistical leader of the squad which threepeated in '09 is Carrie "Steal Wheels" Randle. (center) Randle amassed 77 steals playing 8 games of the undefeated 2009 championship season. To put this in perspective, the entire Bulls team of 1997 together didn't even produce at that rate. This stifling defense from Hill, Randle and the other girls held opponents to single digits in 5 games and a shutout against the AGSAs. If we were talking baseball we would be talking perfect game. Randle and Hill will be moving on to High School and leave a big void for Miss Jalesa to fill, but with the possible addition of Kareemah Martin to the squad, who is reported to b e working on her sky hook this summer, they look to extend the dynasty well into the this next decade. Marillac Social Center probably needs some thing$. I'm not sure what that may be, but I do know one immediate need is a new trophy case, as the current one is overflowing.

Intercrosse

Every four years, about this time, we U.S.sters bemoan why soccer hasn't caught on yet. And as we hold it, ignoring the obvious reason that the sport arrogantly refuses to acknowledge the need for commercials. And pee breaks. This time is also converges with my trimesterly sabbatical where I watch Sportscenter everyday during the funnest time of year. Kentucky Derby, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, and the annual climax of the Cubs run at the pennant.
Barely on the radar is the lacrosse final four. Not to be confused with the intercrosse final four. No question why this sport hasn't caught on. At least in soccer you can get drunk and still say "could you turn on the futbol on the big screen" without getting slapped. Lacrosse hasn't caught on for the same reason as soccer. It never stops, so you can rent a beer. All us niche sport fans must just face it. If a sport hasn't caught on in 4oo years it probably won't ever. When Indians played 750 on 750 for 4 days at a time they played because they loved the sport, not because it goes good with wings and lager. Cornell is the Cinderella on the Men's side. They could accomplish what Butler couldn't - take a set of Hoosiers and beat the bigger, older team.
The lacrosse story is on the Women's side however.Northwestern is known in lacrosse circles as "the evil empire." They have one the last FIVE national championships. This all since returning to competition in 2002 after the university had discontinued the sport a decade earlier.
Compare this to the Celtics , or Bruins if they had on fifty rings. This is a dynasty that is unmatched. St. Leonard's started girl's lacrosse back in 1890. They would be proud of these Wildcats.

Returning Pioneers

The local sportscaster chatter has stroked on for days about Avery Bradley's decision re the draft. This perrenial discussion undoubtedly drones on across David Stern's personal plantation, the entire NCAA. Forget for a moment that no one would be dumb enough to continue on the chemistry imbalanced path that recently denuded Emporer Barnes has charted for the Longhorns in his quest for an NBA gig.
Of course he should try to play at the level that suits his abiities. He should have been allowed to last year, but for the anti-free market system that is the NBA. The NFL has increasingly joined the irresistable exploitation to such a degree that the companion chatter at draft time has become equally nauseating. The plantation rhetoric seems harsh and hysterical, but only if you can imagine these discussions happening in the white sports of golf, baseball, tennis or hockey. NEVER.
Look no further than the 40 acres for the answer to "should [he] go?" Always yes. Two groundbreaking Horns are re-stomping the college grounds they once stomped with their obligatory socks and slippers a decade ago when buses were merely for running in front of and laughing.
Kris Clack was the first McDonald's All-American to go to UT. He was also the leader in the pipeline of future Austin stars who would stay home. Before Clack, Austin's best black athletes like Kenneth Alexander generally panned UT. Local youth will tell you to this day UT is a white school. While the pipeline never materialized, Clack ushered in an undeniable upgrade of UT hoops.

Technically Clack didn't leave early, but he did put his degree on hold to try his art in the league. Eventually, that league was the Italian league which he tore up.

Today Kris Clack rides the bus to school to finish his communications degree. He coaches the Fightin' Archangels at night and through his journeys and travel has become a thoughtful and balanced individual, worldly wise and humble. Seems like a good choice until you realize it is the only choice.
Kwame Cavil was the first Longhorn to leave early when the NFL's market manipulation was in it's infancy and Maurice Clarett hadn't yet challenged and lost a foolish fight against an industry that makes it's own rules. You wouldn't even recognize Kwame today. He is a coach too, and a father who beams when he's with his kids. He's aged and mellowed like Pinot through his worldly, albeit frigid world travels. He too is riding the bus toward his degree. A high quality individual who should never even had too answer the absurd question asked only of American black athletes. Stay or go?

I suspect John Wall ten years from now will be a star to some degree despite his slightness. Avery Bradley will likely know his way around Macedonia and Greece really well. Both will be good guys that people like and want to hear say something funny or poignant. All of these guys will probably always kinda wonder -- What choice?

and with the....

....75th pick of the 2010 NFL draft the Chicago Bears select.........Prince Fielder!
Assuming Brittney Griner is not available the Fielder choice is not a bad one.
Third rounders rarely make it, and a joke selection would likely give an equivalent return on investment.
Plus he's bigger than the best draft prospect in a decade, Suh. Fielder also could inject a harmless dose of humor in the otherwise business like, no drama quest for the 2011 Super Bowl, and consequent immortality for Brian Urlacher. Alas, I believe Fielder will be too busy saving baseball alongside his loyal sidekick Tim Lincecum. So after examining the draft and the 2009 college footbal season, the Bears should select Dezmon Brisoce.
The best receiver the Jayhawks ever had is drastically undervalued and should be availble late. The Bears most glaring weak spot is at receiver based on the free agent acquisitions and the debacle that was the '09 season. Brisoce is the real deal. His learning curve has been oustanding in high school and the NCAA. Enduring Mangino is a baptism of fire that should remove any sensitivity that Jay Cutler will test. Briscoe is a sure handed receiver who has the maturity to start with the suddenly veteran juggernaut the Bears have assembled. Oh, and he played for the Horns in high school!

That's Right.....!

Harry B. told us a long time ago, and Bobby sang it best.
Once again my job allows me to be a fly on the wall of UT sports. My co-worker, we'll call him Numero Uno, and I were musing about how we heard competing factions of the softball team speaking ill of each other. Being of conventional cloth we decided that things wouldn't bode well for the young Longhorns. There just seemed to be too much jealousy and sundry other of the seven deadly sins to play a team sport like softball. Softball may move slowly, but it requires a very precise brand of teamwork to get the job done.
Before the season started I had them doomed to the badlands of bad chemistry.
Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. Not only are these Horns able to play together, but they won the opening tourney, anchored by Austin frish flames-thrower Blaire Luna who blazed a no-hitter in her first NCAA game. These smart women are now 6-0 and cracked the top 25 this week to the surprise of the world, and me, and Numero Uno. Things look good for a nice little run at the Big 12 and who knows what else.

“I’m glad we had this game scheduled for tonight,” Clark said. “It was a good test for our mentality and our approach and process. We’re playing the game, not the opponent.” -Connie Clark 2/16/10

Maybe women are better able to leave the silly stuff on the bus, or maybe the whole chemistry thing is overrated. Whatever it is, men seem incapable of doing what this band of young overachievers are poised to do, as evidenced by the up women's hoops and the down men's.
Never mind what the people say. Don't try to figure it out. Just enjoy Blazin' Blair and the 2010 Horns softball team in every way.